Chapter 2628 Aurora Cave

From how Wanrou was looking, Lin Xun knew that Uncle Jiao's betrayal was an unbearable blow to her mental state.

“It’s not too late to find this out now,” he softly consoled her. “At least, the disaster hasn’t yet truly befallen you and the Nine Leaf Merchant House.”

Wanrou said bitterly, “Since you had uncovered the truth, why didn’t you directly expose Jiao Taihang’s true colors?”

Jiao Taihang was Uncle Jiao’s full name.

Lin Xun said, “I had no concrete evidence, and Uncle Jiao was after all the elder who had your full trust. An accusation from an outsider like me might have caused you to misunderstand, which would only result in the opposite effect. I’d rather let you witness the whole truth with your own eyes.”

At the mention of misunderstandings, Wanrou felt a pang of embarrassment and an inexpressible loss. Her personal maid, Runyue, turned out to be a spy of the Heng Clan. Uncle Jiao, whom she had fully trusted, was a treacherous traitor with ulterior motives.

Meanwhile, Lin Xun, an unintended tagalong, had actually helped her resolve a deadly peril and then expose a massive conspiracy. The more she thought about it, the more hollow she felt.

“What should we do next, Master Shi?” she couldn't help but ask, not realizing that she had subconsciously developed a sense of trust in him.

“We eliminate the threat, of course.” Lin Xun took Wanrou and teleported toward the palace on the distant mountain peak.

At the same time, Jiao Taihang in his seat seemed to sense something and suddenly looked outside. There, Lin Xun's handsome figure appeared, gracefully floating down at the entrance together with Wanrou.

“You—!” Jiao Taihang’s pupils shrank and his expression changed as he knew that the situation wasn’t looking good.

Scarlet Demon Dao Lord, who had been kneeling on the floor, sprang to his feet and stared at the two young people in shock and disbelief, “How did you manage to enter the mountain?”

“It’s not a surprise. The restrictive barriers of Scarlet Copper Mountain could never have stopped Master Shi,” sighed Jiao Taihang deeply as he rose from his seat and gazed at the furious Wanrou. He knew it was very likely that his scheme had been exposed.

With a complicated look in his eyes, he turned to Lin Xun and said, “Master Shi, there’s no enmity between us, I treated you with nothing but respect throughout the journey. Why must you meddle in my matter?”

“The sight of injustice evokes the sense of justice in me. How about that?” replied Lin Xun calmly.

Jiao Taihang’s lips twitched. How could he possibly believe such a ridiculous excuse?

“Jiao Taihang, my father has never wronged you in any way, yet you betrayed us for a treasure and even plotted to use the Heng Clan to destroy the Nine Leaf Merchant House. You...you are truly despicable!” criticized Wanrou who could no longer contain her anger.

Meanwhile, Jiao Taihang had composed himself. He sighed softly, “Lass, you know nothing of the grudge between me and your father.”

He then pointed at the three hideous scars on his face, his voice chilling and dripping with hatred, “Weren’t you once curious why I never remove these scars? I’ll tell you now, they were inflicted by your father!”

Wanrou’s face dropped. “That’s impossible. If my father hates you, why would he keep you by his side?”

Lin Xun patted her shoulder, “Let’s hear what he has to say first.”

Jiao Taihang sneered, “That's because he himself doesn’t know it. Since you’ve found me out, I might as well tell you everything. I’ll let you know what kind of a heartless, cruel, and despicable person he, the man you revere so much, truly is!”

He took a deep breath and continued as nostalgia filled his gaze, “I will never forget it. Three thousand four hundred and three years ago, your father, my junior sister, and I decided to venture into Aurora Cave...”

Aurora Cave, like the Magnetic Wind Belt, was one of the three great forbidden zones of the Rowdy Demon Sea!

Long ago, Jiao Taihang, his junior sister Xue Feiyan, and Old Kun set out together to explore Aurora Cave in search of a heaven-defying fortune.

At the time, Xue Feiyan was in possession of a secret map. The three of them followed it and safely arrived at Aurora Cave, where they successfully obtained that divine fortune: a piece of life bone belonging to Ancestor Kun!

They were overjoyed, but on their way out, something unexpected occurred. Old Kun was the first to exit Aurora Cave. When Jiao Taihang was about to get out as well, Xue Feiyan stopped him.

Getting to this part, Jiao Taihang appeared angry and hurt, “Never had I imagined that my junior sister would demand I swear an oath not to compete for the life bone, claiming it was specifically prepared for Old Kun. She threatened to sever ties with me if I did that...”

His eyes glowed red, his beard and hair flaring as his expression turned ferocious, “She was my most beloved junior sister! Yet she resorted to threatening me for Old Kun’s sake!”

Even Lin Xun and Wanrou were astonished.

By now, Jiao Taihang had completely been immersed in past grievances, shouting hoarsely, “Of course I did not agree! I also risked my life along the way to finally obtain Ancestor Kun's life bone, so why should he be the only one who’d get to enjoy it?”

He said bitterly, “What saddens and angers me the most is that such a demand came from my own junior sister! She had no idea how devastating it was to me! Imagine that the woman you love most is willing to turn against you for another man, have you ever experienced that kind of pain?”

Lin Xun revealed an odd look. He had never experienced it, but hadn't Evil God Dishen also gone through something similar?

“Of course I refused!” Jiao Taihang’s face was distorted. His voice was cold but at the same time conveyed indescribable anger and sorrow, “And then, to my utter shock, she really disregarded our long companionship and turned against me...”

“What happened next?” asked Lin Xun.

“Hahahaha, I killed her in a fit of rage!” Jiao Taihang laughed loudly, but it was a sad laugh. “That was when she left these scars on my face. Even in death...she was still protecting Old Kun...”

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Lin Xun raised a brow, “So to speak, Old Kun had no hand in it at all, right?”

Jiao Taihang glared daggers at Lin Xun. “How did he not?! If he hadn’t tricked her into loving him, how could she have turned against me?

“That guy is the most despicable kind. He wanted to hog the life bone, so he used my junior sister to stop me because he knew full well that I was utterly devoted to her and willing to do anything she asked. That was why he chose my junior sister to exploit. His motive was truly malicious!"

“That’s just your one-sided account. You’re the one who killed your junior sister. What does that have to do with my father?” said Wanrou angrily.

“No, she died because of him!” Jiao Taihang's eyes were terrifyingly cold. “After she died, I swore to avenge her and reclaim the life bone that rightfully belonged to me. The irony is that my junior sister died because of your father, but he didn't care at all. Soon after leaving Aurora Cave, he married your mother...”

Lin Xun asked, “If you hate him so much, why did you hold back for so many years before finally taking action now?”

Jiao Taihang sneered, “Only taking his life would have been too lenient. I take years carrying out my plan so that I can destroy his entire Nine Leaf Merchant House, kill all his relatives and friends, and strip him of everything he has. That is when I will finally kill him. Won't that be much more satisfying?”

Chills seeped into Wanrou’s heart when she realized how insane Jiao Taihang's revenge was!

“What a pity that you, an outsider, would interfere when I’m so close to success. My entire plan has come to naught...” Jiao Taihang looked at Lin Xun with a complicated expression.

“Are you done?” Lin Xun calmly returned his gaze, showing no emotion.

Stunned, Jiao Taihang couldn’t help but ask, “Do you think I was wrong to have done what I did?”

Lin Xun smiled, “Right and wrong are ultimately subjective. Do you actually think that your perspective of the story would change my opinion of you?”

Jiao Taihang frowned, "I'm confused. You're just an outsider. Why did you insist on sticking your nose into our matter? How does it concern you at all?"

Lin Xun said, “Because a drop of kindness should be returned with a gushing spring of gratitude, perhaps?”

Jiao Taihang's old face became unsightly. First ‘a sense of justice,’ and now ‘a drop of kindness should be returned with a gushing spring of gratitude.’ Who would believe such nonsense?

“I get it, you're after the life bone!” Something seemed to dawn on Jiao Taihang. “Hahaha, it makes sense now. Wealth corrupts, let alone such a precious treasure!”

Lin Xun was unperturbed, “Those are your final words?”

Jiao Taihang inhaled deeply and asked, “Friend, must you be so ruthless?”

Whoosh!

Scarlet Demon Dao Lord, who had remained quiet the whole time, suddenly charged toward Lin Xun with a blood-red halberd in his grip. At the same time, Jiao Taihang waved his sleeve, and a glistening white chain whistled out. Its target was not Lin Xun, but Wanrou who was right next to him!

The aim was clearly to take Wanrou hostage to threaten Lin Xun, which was undoubtedly a smart decision. It also showed that Jiao Taihang had come to regard Lin Xun as his arch-enemy, or else he would never have chosen to take advantage of Wanrou.

“You’re putting up a futile struggle.” Lin Xun, surprisingly, stood firm in his place and flicked his finger.

Clang!!

The blood-red halberd burst to pieces. Scarlet Demon Dao Lord who was holding it was sent flying through the air and crashed into a wall, spurting blood from his mouth and nose.

Lin Xun then seized the glistening white chain deployed by Jiao Taihang like he was grasping a snake by its vital point. The chain buzzed violently but was unable to break free.

However, Jiao Taihang did not panic. Instead, he cracked a savage smile and uttered a cryptic incantation, “Explode!”